Ustaz Mark Bang
We are not who we are until we realize where we’ve gone astray, whether in saying or doing.
Many of our people in places of work don’t really believe they are not working positively; some fail to discharge their duties due to unknown weaknesses. One may not know she/he has made a mistake and deny correction; others reply with anger as if they don’t make mistakes.
Where on earth do people expect erring and not to be told, we only think about ourselves, not about others, and this is deemed senseless if we think that she/he is a minister yet misbehaving; that person isn’t a minister at all. When they are holding positions, they forget one thing. When one is a leader, your work is to serve your people but not oneself. It is quite believable that everyone, especially here in our country, wants to be praised, lifted, and carried on our shoulders, and this is not possible when these people are starving to death. To praise them, those calling themselves leaders must first value their own rather than themselves.
Look here! At the level of our families or societies, for one to be accepted as a member, you must do what is needed to be done, not what you want to get done. I have gotten this for years; people forget times they were nowhere to be seen shining till given the opportunity. It’s well said if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. I believe this is one driving force to test a human’s character. I’m a social being who is living life with a smile. Always accept and accept the unexpected in your life. Life never gives you always what you want, but it gives you more better experiences in life that will make you recognize who you actually are.
Always be ready to face them and not run from them. If you run from them, you will never know who you actually are. Life gave me many rough times, but I always took it positively as my self-growth. Never questioned it; always kept peace and patience. Now I’m actually a stronger woman, emotionally and mentally, with a positive attitude in every situation I face. I always see bad as good, ready to face anything happily. The one who has patience, calmness, and positivity towards life never fails, and they finally recognize themselves for what they actually are. When failures and rough times knock on our door, we will know who we actually are. Who is strong-minded with strong emotions, coming out as the strongest person who can deal with any pace of struggle in their life with a smile? As parents of kids trying to nurture them as strong and confident social beings in their lives, this is your main goal for now. You have to be a hardworking homemaker.
There is no such thing as “what you are supposed to be.” There is just you, and it’s ok. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the sad. Comparing yourself to some imaginary idealized version of yourself will leave you disappointed constantly, so it’s best not to do that if at all possible. What makes you who you are? The universe, your 3rd-grade teacher scolding you that one time, your mother singing you to sleep as a baby, going on your first date, you slowly giving up on your dreams, that one time you got drunk, etc. You are constantly changing because you are constantly being affected by life’s events. You live, you fail. There is no wrong answer. It just is what it is, bro. You, feel me?
If someone asks me “who” I am, that usually is asking for a name—Alan. My name Alan does not really say much about me though, just a label that was originally applied by someone other than myself. I could change my name with a few forms to Peter if I wanted to. Would I have changed from Alan to Peter in an important way? The question of “What am I?” is more interesting to me. The Christian God is said to have said, when asked by Moses by what name to call God, “I am what I am.”
This question doesn’t seem to me to have a conceptual answer. It doesn’t seem to be meant to answer. The question seems to stand on its own. To ask, “What am I?” I’ve experienced that when I settle back into complete stillness of mind—whether that is in quiet or in action—a non-conceptual answer to the question emerges. “Suchness”.
Most have strict definitions of what they believe they are and how they are separate from their surroundings. We, most likely, are our own conscious egos stuck for however long we have left as conscious egos in physical vessels. Our identities allow us to exist and separate ourselves from other objects and things we can measure or sense. Some people don’t accept this idea and believe that everything is one and the same, but knowledge of whether or not all of us are existent, separate entities is unknowable. The claim that we can be each other is unfounded as of yet, so it’s best left to be answered by those who want to partially assimilate identities. “Public Staunchest Ally.”
The writer of this article is a human rights activist, writer, and professional teacher.